What is a QR Code Survey?

Having a QR Code Survey is Integral to ‘Touchless’ Customer Feedback – Read on for More Tips

QR codes have been used and tested for years as a fast and convenient way to communicate with customers electronically while keeping them engaged. You may or may not have used QR codes (or other barcodes) yourself, but if you have, this article is for you!

QR codes are great for feedback questions and surveys because you can scan them on your smartphone in seconds. In fact, you can use them for just about any kind of survey you are looking to conduct. And remember – they are delivered using the customer’s own mobile phone. No unsanitary or expensive touchscreens. No cleaning, no maintenance and no hassle. This means they can be a critical and cost effective feedback source – so worth exploring. In this article we will look at:

1. QR Codes – What are They?
2. What is a QR Code Survey
3. List the Benefits of QR Codes
4. Implementing the Perfect QR Code Survey

What are QR Codes?

The ‘QR’ in QR code stands for ‘Quick Response‘. It’s another type of barcode ie. a one or two dimensional code with a short section scanned by smart phones and other devices like the ones used with QR readers. These readers display the code and convert it to some useful form – often a URL A Uniform Resource Locator colloquially termed a web address, is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a computer network. The benefit here  is that this is simpler for the user and much quicker than typing in the full url.

In 1994, Denso the Japanese automotive company allegedly inspired by pieces on a GO Board, developed the QR code. They quickly became popular outside the automotive industry due to their fast readability and greater storage capacity compared to standard bar codes (the Universal Product Code or UPC – most often see in retailers) or matrix barcode.

A QR code usually consists of black squares arranged in a square grid on a white background, and read by an imaging device such as a camera and a specific app. A QR code generator produces these.  Reed Soloman Error Correction processes them until recognition. The required data is then extracted from patterns that are present in both horizontal and vertical components of the image. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.

What is a QR Code Survey

Simply put – it is a survey that uses QR codes to collect information via a survey link. Promoters of these surveys usually specify the type of information they want to collect. For example, they might ask the respondents to rate the performance of the business or even staff.  To initiate the online survey a customer scans the QR code on a card, poster or table talker. The survey starts this ways and may contain follow up questions. See the example below:

Again – the big benefit to everyone is displaying the code and converting it to some useful form (such as a standard URL for a website, thereby obviating the need for a user to type it into a web browser). In addition to speed, there are many other benefits – see more below.

What are the Benefits of  a QR Code Survey

Although not perfect – there are are many benefits to using QR code surveys (we assume here the business has a QR code generator among their marketing tools). These include:

• Broad acceptance – Quick response codes are a great way to get your survey responses into the hands of people who wouldn’t have dreamed of taking them when you sent you an email! So they are quick and convenient for the customer and the are an easy way to get customer feedback.
• Low errors – The QR code always holds the same information and points to the same place. The customer is not required to enter data – simply scan a code. In a QR code, when scanned, the image in the code enlarges and rotates in order to appear at a maximum angle of 180 degrees to the side of the scanner (as opposed to the normal orientation that is approximately 25 degrees from left to right). With this arrangement, a person who scans the code can scan it from any desired angle.
• Higher response rate – You can get customer feedback when they do not have time to complete a full survey. Moreover, in addition to the convenience provided by QR codes, a customer doesn’t have to follow through a process of registration or filling in details or signing in to provide feedback. This removes the reluctance of some to participate hence the higher response rate.
• No latency – The scanning of the QR code is instant as is the connection to the website. No delay which means responses are instantly reviewed. This immediate feedback improves your business or product, and make changes that benefit your customers.
• Cost effective – If you are looking for a way to use a QR code for customer surveys, the simplest and most cost-efficient way to do this is to use the 1-2-3 QR code.
• Versatile – the QR code can present any type of question – straight from the scan. You can utilize QR codes for survey types such as CES, CSAT, NPS, and others.
• Covers most customers – US smartphone penetration, has continued to rise, and will reach 88% by the end of 2021. Moreover, most smartphones come with a QR code reader app. Familiarity with QR codes is increasing and more companies are using them. All the data points to explosive use of the QR code.
• Feedback anywhere on anything – A QR code can be printed on just about any surface of any product or sign or screen. This means a business can request feedback on any product surface or its packaging, business cards, code on receipts and so on, In addition, a service business could place a QR code in a menu, printed material, on a table, on a presentation screen, in an elevator, on wall in any building – even on clothing. This enormous flexibility enables feedback opportunities throughout the customer journey and at any point in the customer’s interaction with the brand.

Now we know a little more about the codes and some of the advantages – lets review how to implement

How to Implement the Perfect QR Code Survey

We do not recommend that the QR code is the only method to give feedback in a survey. After all this method by itself relies on QR code understanding and a smartphone. So what about those people who:

1. Do not have smartphone – so no way to read the code
2. Are smartphone users and have a QR code reader but don’t know how to use it
3. Who do have a smartphone, but without a QR code reader and reluctant to download

In these cases the QR code as the only survey input is useless because it excludes some groups, which means survey response rates will not be as high. With this in mind, it is much better to offer the customer a choice. Specifically:

1. The survey input method prefer (SMS, Phone call, Web AND QR)
2. Using a language they are most comfortable with eg. English or Spanish
3. On a device they are familiar with AND is touchless ie. their own cell phone
4. At the time of the experience ie. on location

This means that the signage requesting feedback needs to accommodate these items.

Specifically you will see that QR codes are just ONE option – albeit an important one.

Conclusion

QR codes come in all shapes and sizes, and they’re popping up all over the place nowadays, not just on product packaging. Using QR code is now common place. In fact, one popular use is for product feedback using the code as an online survey. These have many advantages over some traditional methods including an easy customer experience, yet they can exclude groups of customers. If you’re looking for a QR code feedback service, Opiniator can help. We can help you get retail feedback, food service feedback and many more while you’re customers are still on your premises. We know there is a much better way to incorporate QR codes into feedback – but still allowing customers to deliver answers on their own terms including using other input methods. Furthermore we know that there are certain best practices that a business should follow to get feedback that is impactful and actionable.

We call these the 12 Golden Rules. Click the link to find out more.